Insulating cup wrap

ABSTRACT

An insulating cup wrap includes a generally flat planar wrap panel constructed of a rubberized material, the wrap panel including top and bottom edges and left and right edges, the top and bottom edges being generally arcuate and the left and right edges being generally straight, the top and bottom edges extending generally parallel with one another such that the shape of the wrap panel is the two dimensional representation of the surface of the frustum of an inverted cone having a larger top radius than bottom radius and a releasable securement device operative to releasably secure the left and right edges generally adjacent to one another upon the wrap panel being formed into a generally frustoconical configuration thereby releasably securing the wrap panel in the generally frustoconical shape for mounting on and circumferentially wrapping a cup.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to the filing date of related provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/794,491 filed on Apr. 24, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to insulation devices for cups and, more particularly, to an insulating cup wrap which includes a generally flat, planar wrap panel constructed of a flexible foam rubber material, the panel having top and bottom arcuate parallel edges, with the top arcuate edge having a greater length than the bottom arcuate edge and left and right edges which are generally straight and extend divergently from one another to connect the top and bottom edges and a releasable closure device such as a hook and loop fastener panel mounted adjacent each of the left and right edges such that when the wrap panel is extended around a standard cup having an inverted frustoconical shape, the wrap panel contacts and engages the outer walls of the cup and the left and right edges are secured adjacent one another to frictionally secure the wrap panel on the exterior of the cup to provide both insulation and improved grip friction for the user of the cup.

2. Description of the Prior Art

One of the problems commonly encountered in the drinking of beverages is that the beverage contained within the beverage container will often become warm long before the individual consuming the beverage has finished drinking it. The obvious solution, of course, would be to add ice to the beverage, however, there are many different beverages where the addition of ice is not practical, and there also are numerous situations where ice is not readily available. Alternative insulation devices have been proposed for use with cans and bottles, these being generally referred to as “coozies” or “huggies,” which usually consist of a generally cylindrical can-shaped structure made out of foam rubber or plastic which is designed to receive and retain the can or bottle therewithin. These are generally operated by the individual by merely inserting the can or bottle into the coozie which frictionally engages the external walls of the container and thus releasably secures the coozie on the beverage container.

While these coozie devices are acceptable for use with generally cylindrical cans and bottles, there is no similar device currently available for use with cups having a classic inverted frustoconical shape wherein the base of the cup has a smaller diameter than the top rim of the cup. The obvious reason for this lack of a similar device for use with cups is that there are far too many different sizes of cups currently available to make a single style of coozie usable in any practical sense, as opposed to the standard size and shape of bottles and cans currently used which permits the use of the can and bottle coozies. The same insulating needs exist for people who drink out of cups, however, and therefore there is a need for an insulating cup coozie which is adaptable to various sizes and shapes of cups and which may be quickly and easily transferred, added or removed from a particular cup.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved insulating cup wrap.

Another object is to provide an improved insulating cup wrap which may be quickly and easily wrapped around a cup to provide both insulation for the contents of the cup and improved gripability for the cup due to the relatively high coefficient of friction of the exterior surface of the cup wrap.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved insulating cup wrap which includes a wrap panel having top and bottom arcuate edges and left and right generally straight edges such that when the cup wrap is configured in its cup-engaging configuration, the cup wrap is generally frustoconical in shape with a larger top diameter than bottom diameter.

Still another object is to provide an improved insulating cup wrap which is usable with cups of many different sizes and which also can be imprinted with various indicia for advertising or informational purposes.

Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved insulating cup wrap which is relatively simple and straightforward in design and construction and is safe, efficient and effective in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an insulating cup wrap including a generally flat planar wrap panel constructed of a rubberized material, the wrap panel including top and bottom edges and left and right edges, the top and bottom edges being generally arcuate and the left and right edges being generally straight, the top and bottom edges extending generally parallel with one another with the top edge consisting of an arc of a first circle having a first larger diameter and the bottom edge consisting of an arc of a second circle having a second smaller diameter than the first circle but which is concentric with the first circle aligned with the top edge, such that the shape of the wrap panel is the two dimensional representation of the surface of the frustum of an inverted cone having a larger top radius than bottom radius. The present invention also includes a releasable securement device operative to releasably secure the left and right edges generally adjacent to one another upon the wrap panel being formed into a generally frustoconical configuration thereby releasably securing the wrap panel in the generally frustoconical shape such that the configured insulating cup wrap is of the correct shape and configuration for mounting on and circumferentially wrapping a cup thereby insulating the cup to retard the rate of temperature change of the contents of the cup.

The present invention as thus described provides substantial advantages over those insulating devices found in the prior art. For example, because the vast majority of devices are designed for use only with containers having generally upright side walls, such as cans and bottles, such devices cannot be used for cup insulation purposes. Furthermore, because the present invention is usable with many different sizes and shapes of cups, the insulating properties of the insulating cup wrap can be applied in many different situations. Finally, because the present invention may be easily applied and removed from a cup, it is far easier and convenient to use than those insulating devices found in the prior art. It is therefore seen that the present invention provides a substantial improvement over those methods, systems and devices found in the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the insulating cup wrap of the present invention mounted on a cup;

FIG. 2 is a top plan sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 which shows the cup wrap mounted on a cup;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the wrap panel; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the wrap panel showing the releasable engagement device which releasably secures the wrap panel in its cup-engaging configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The insulating cup wrap of the present invention is shown best in FIGS. 1-2 including a wrap panel 12 which is preferably constructed of a generally flexible insulating material such as foam rubber, flexible plastic, or other such construction material. The important features of the construction material are that it be generally wear-resistant, water-resistant, and have a fairly high coefficient of friction to ensure that the frictional securement of the wrap panel 12 on the cup 70 will be generally secure. In the preferred embodiment, wrap panel 12 would include top and bottom edges 14 and 16 and left and right edges 18 and 20, with the top and bottom edges 14 and 16 being generally arcuate as shown in FIG. 2 and left and right edges 18 and 20 being generally straight, as also shown in FIG. 2. It is further preferred that the top and bottom edges 14 and 16 extend generally parallel with one another specifically in that the top panel edge 14 would comprise an arc of a circle having a first larger diameter and the bottom edge 16 would comprise an arc of a second circle having a smaller diameter but which is concentric with the first circle aligned with the top edge 14. The left edge 18 and right edge 20 would be generally divergent straight lines. In brief, the general shape of the wrap panel 12 would be the two dimensional representation of the surface of the frustum of a cone having a larger top radius than bottom radius.

The specific reason for the above-described shape of wrap panel 12 is that it is intended to fit onto and frictionally engage the outer surface 72 of a cup 70, as shown best in FIG. 1. To accomplish this, the wrap panel 12 must be reoriented from its flat configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, to its cup-engaging configuration shown best in FIG. 1. This is done by reconfiguring the wrap panel 12 into a frustoconical shape wherein the top panel edge 14 forms the top circumference of the frustum and the bottom edge 16 forms the bottom circumference of the frustum, where the frustum is inverted. The left edge 18 would then overlap the right edge 20 and a releasable securement device 30 such as a hook and loop fastener panel would releasably secure the area adjacent left edge 18 to the area on the inner face of the wrap panel 12 adjacent right edge 20, as shown best in FIG. 1. Of course, many different types of releasable securement devices 30 may be used to connect the left and right edges 18 and 20 adjacent to one another to secure the wrap panel 12 in its cup-engaging configuration, but it has been found that use of the hook and loop fastener provides the most simple and efficient device by which the wrap panel may be secured to itself for frictional engagement with the outer wall 72 of cup 70.

The wrap panel 12 may be reoriented into its cup-engaging configuration either prior to being placed onto the cup 70 or, alternatively, the wrap panel 12 may be wrapped around the cup 70 to engage the outer wall 72 to ensure that a snug, frictional fit between the outer wall 72 of cup 70 and the wrap panel 12 is achieved, and it will be almost entirely up to the user of the present invention to determine which method will be used to place the wrap panel 12 on the cup 70. It should also be noted that because of the size of the releasable securement device 30 on left and right edges 18 and 20, the exact circumference of the wrap panel 12 may be modified or changed to provide a snug frictional fit of the wrap panel 12 on the cup 70, and due to the frustoconical shape of the cup 70, the frictional fit of the wrap panel 12 on cup 70 once the wrap panel 12 is oriented into its cup-receiving configuration will retain the wrap panel 12 on the cup 70 until disengagement force is applied between the cup 70 and wrap panel 12 to remove the wrap panel 12 from the cup 70. Therefore, the frictional fit between the wrap panel 12 and cup 70 will ensure that the wrap panel 12 does not accidentally disengage from the cup 70.

Once the wrap panel 12 is placed on the outer wall 72 of cup 70, the wrap panel 12, due to its cup-engaging configuration and the specific properties of the construction materials used in connection with wrap panel 12, will act to both insulate the cup 70 from the surrounding environment and also significantly increase the comfort level of the person holding the cup 70, as the construction material used in connection with the wrap panel 12 makes for a softer, more pleasant cup-carrying experience. Also, due to the fact that the outer face of the wrap panel 12 has a higher coefficient of friction than the outer wall 72 of cup 70, carrying of the cup 70 by the user of the present invention is rendered more secure, and therefore the comfort level achieved through use of the insulating cup wrap 10 of the present invention is greater than that encountered when the present invention is not in use. This combination of increased insulation for the contents of the cup 70, along with the increased cup-holding security engendered by use of the insulating cup wrap 10 of the present invention, renders the present invention a substantial improvement over any other cup-engaging device found in the prior art.

One other important feature of the insulating cup wrap 10 of the present invention is that the outer face 22 of the wrap panel 12 may be imprinted with various indicia which can be used for advertising purposes, display purposes, or for any other use in which display of indicia on the external surface would be desirable. This makes the insulating cup 10 of the present invention ideal for promotional giveaways, souvenirs and other advertising uses, particularly as the insulating cup wrap 10 may be stored in its flat configuration until such time as the wrap panel 12 will be reoriented into its cup-engaging configuration. This makes transport and storage of the insulating cup wrap 10 of the present invention a far easier matter than that encountered in connection with various coozies and huggies found in the prior art. The various types of screen printing and text imprinting methods will be easily adapted to print indicia on the outer face 22 of wrap panel 12, and such imprinting methods are well known in the prior art. However, although the imprinting of indicia on a foam rubber product or the like is well known in the prior art, it is still believed that the printing of various types of indicia on the insulating cup wrap 10 of the present invention will provide for even broader applications and uses for the present invention and therefore they are believed to be a desirable feature for use with the insulating cup wrap 10.

It is to be understood that numerous additions, modifications and substitutions may be made to the insulating cup wrap 10 of the present invention which fall within the intended broad scope of the above description. For example, the exact size, shape and construction materials used in connection with the wrap panel 12 and releasable securement device 30 may be modified or changed so long as the intended function of providing a frictionally secured insulating wrap for a cup is maintained. Furthermore, it should be noted that the precise arc of the top and bottom edges 14 and 16 will largely be determined by the specific frustoconical shape of the cup 70 to which the wrap panel 12 is to be applied, and modification of the dimensions of the wrap panel 12 are clearly contemplated by the disclosure of the invention. Finally, it should be noted that the present invention is not designed for use with cups having cylindrical shape with upright parallel walls, as ordinary coozies and huggies may be used in connection with such cups, whereas the present invention is designed specifically for use in connection with cups having inverted frustoconical shapes such as that shown in FIG. 1.

There has therefore been shown and described an insulating cup wrap 10 which accomplishes at least all of its intended objectives. 

1. An insulating cup wrap comprising: a generally flat planar wrap panel constructed of a rubberized material, said wrap panel including top and bottom edges and left and right edges, said top and bottom edges being generally arcuate and said left and right edges being generally straight, said top and bottom edges extending generally parallel with one another with said top edge consisting of an arc of a first circle having a first larger diameter and said bottom edge consisting of an arc of a second circle having a second smaller diameter than the first circle but which is concentric with the first circle aligned with the top edge, such that the shape of said wrap panel is the two dimensional representation of the surface of the frustum of an inverted cone having a larger top radius than bottom radius; and a releasable securement device operative to releasably secure said left and right edges generally adjacent to one another upon said wrap panel being formed into a generally frustoconical configuration thereby releasably securing said wrap panel in said generally frustoconical shape for mounting on and circumferentially wrapping a cup.
 2. The insulating cup wrap of claim 1 wherein said releasable securement device is a hook and loop fastener having a hook panel mounted on said wrap panel adjacent one of said left and right edges and a loop panel mounted on said wrap panel adjacent to other of said left and right edges.
 3. The insulating cup wrap of claim 1 wherein said wrap panel is constructed of neoprene.
 4. The insulating cup wrap of claim 1 further comprising indicia imprinted on the outer surface of said wrap panel for display thereof for advertising and informational purposes upon said wrap panel being releasably secured in said generally frustoconical cup-engaging shape for mounting on and circumferentially wrapping a cup.
 5. An insulating cup wrap comprising: a generally flat planar wrap panel constructed of a rubberized material, said wrap panel including top and bottom edges and left and right edges, said top and bottom edges being generally arcuate and said left and right edges being generally straight, said top and bottom edges extending generally parallel with one another with said top edge consisting of an arc of a first circle having a first larger diameter and said bottom edge consisting of an arc of a second circle having a second smaller diameter than the first circle but which is concentric with the first circle aligned with the top edge, such that the shape of said wrap panel is the two dimensional representation of the surface of the frustum of an inverted cone having a larger top radius than bottom radius; and a releasable securement device consisting of a hook and loop fastener having a hook panel mounted on said wrap panel adjacent one of said left and right edges and a loop panel mounted on said wrap panel adjacent to other of said left and right edges, said releasable securement device operative to releasably secure said left and right edges generally adjacent to one another upon said wrap panel being formed into a generally frustoconical configuration thereby releasably securing said wrap panel in said generally frustoconical shape for mounting on and circumferentially wrapping a cup.
 6. The insulating cup wrap of claim 5 wherein said wrap panel is constructed of neoprene.
 7. The insulating cup wrap of claim 5 further comprising indicia imprinted on the outer surface of said wrap panel for display thereof for advertising and informational purposes upon said wrap panel being releasably secured in said generally frustoconical cup-engaging shape for mounting on and circumferentially wrapping a cup. 